More Options for Baltimore Garden Quilts - Different Colors, Different Layouts

Nobody says you have to do an antique reproduction exactly like the original!

Playing on the computer, I made a "negative" image of my reproduction Baltimore Garden. Maybe this will be my next quilt? Blue is my favorite color....

... and maybe sew the blocks together a different layout instead of the original arrangement. In the picture below, all the blocks are the same, but rearranged around the center; just a little more balanced. Try this technique for planning your quilt layout -- print a color photo, cut up the blocks, rearrange, and paste the blocks down within the border -- a paper design wall!

So many options. What's next?

Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham

(c) 2015 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Baltimore Garden Quilt Fabric Suggestions

The search for just the right fabric continues!

Quilters have sent me questions and suggestions about fabric choices for their Baltimore Garden Quilts, and other 1850s reproduction red and green quilts. As fabrics go out of print and new ones become available, I will try to post more suggestions. Several stitchers are doing blocks with broderie perse fabrics. Those I will list in another post very soon, with lots of photos!

Here are some fabric lines suggested by friends, and shop owners, and some that I have used. The first ones listed may be available now, or have been out for a year or two. Later in my list are newer lines coming soon.

Turkey Red – There are a lot of nice Turkey red solids and subtle prints available all the time. However, I would NOT recommend Kona – it is too thick and heavy for fine appliqué and especially too thick for multilayer flowers.

Here is a red fabric that I have really enjoyed using for multilayer flowers, Robert Kaufman "Fusions" Screen Print D# 5573 (pictured below). This multilayer flower is from the Block B3 pattern; the most complex layered flower in the book, Baltimore Garden Quilt. See how the subtle shading makes it look like each petal was stitched on separately?

For greens and yellows, the following choices are wonderful, if you can still find them:

Windham Fabrics - Baltimore Album ca 1847 – Mary Koval
http://www.windhamfabrics.net/cgi-bin/fabricshop/gallery.cgi?Category=436&View=All&v=1

Windham Fabrics - Mary’s Blenders – Mary Koval
http://www.windhamfabrics.net/cgi-bin/fabricshop/gallery.cgi?Category=479&View=All&v=1

Andover Fabrics - Crimson and Clover – Jo Morton
http://www.andoverfabrics.com/Grid.php?GroupName=Crimson and Clover by Jo Morton

Andover Fabrics - Crimson Bouquet – Jo Morton
http://www.andoverfabrics.com/Grid.php?GroupName=Crimson Bouquet
(A-5085-Y is a fabulous golden yellow!)

COMING SOON, OR LATER THIS YEAR

A friend who recently attended Quilt Market posted an update of future fabric ranges on her blog. Here are some you might want to consider for your Baltimore Garden Quilt.
Here is a fabric line I am really looking forward to! PERFECT yellows, PERFECT greens, and one potential Turkey red print (available 11-20-2012):

Windham Fabrics, New Colonies by Nancy Gere:
http://www.windhamfabrics.net/cgi-bin/fabricshop/gallery.cgi?Category=595&View=All&v=1

Blue Hill Fabrics has some good candidates for yellows and greens in Pomegranate – Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum:
http://bluehillfabrics.net/collections/item/41-pomegranate

There might be a green candidate here:

Marcus Fabrics - Tavern Collection Greens – Paula Barnes
http://www.marcusfabrics.com/cgi-bin/fabricgallery/gallery.cgi?Category=659

The next two collections will be popular for Baltimore Album quilts – definitely also on my list:

Newcastle Fabrics - Prussian Blue – Pamela Weeks
http://newcastlefabric.com/gallery/item/35-prussian-blue

Little Pink Stars – Margo Krager
http://newcastlefabric.com/gallery/item/22-little-pink-stars

If you find other great fabric candidates, please post a comment!

Here is another find (thank you Charmaine!) from Andover Fabrics - IQSC Square in a Square (available September 2012)
http://www.andoverfabrics.com/Grid.php?GroupName=IQSC Square in Square

The Red and Green Poos Collection - Book Review

My friends and I all LOVE antique quilts, and I especially enjoy the 18th century red and green applique. Miss Polly brought an extra copy for me from her trip to Houston (probably so I would not drool on her copy). Thank you Miss Polly, my friend!

And now this book is available on amazon for sale. So I thought I would share the news with all my friends. Here are a few sneak peeks, and a quick synopsis of the book below.

Gathered for a European exhibit in 2008 from a private collection, thirty-one antique red and green appliqué quilts are shown in glorious color with full page photos. The quilts in this exhibit were made in the United States in the mid-1800s or earlier, and chosen for their beauty of design, color, and quality of workmanship. The skill and incredible time commitment required to stitch these quilts indicate that they were made to be loved by future generations, not for everyday use.

Some are classic, and some are unique. Some are quirky – who would expect to find a goldfish bowl, complete with fish, on a Baltimore Album quilt? Some have obvious “mistakes.” All of them are fabulous!

The collector writes about the regional differences of styles and designs, and technical background of the fabrics and techniques used on these quilts. Text and descriptions of each quilt are written in French and repeated in English. The author, Kay Triplett, also offers -- from her own wonderful quilt collection --  photos and instructions for five appliqué quilts and a separate pattern foldout.

Now stop drooling on my blog -- go buy it and Enjoy!

The Red and Green Quilts from the Poos Collection, by Kay Triplett